Certain [Indian] societies require that each member have a
special song; this song is generally of the man's own composition,
although sometimes these songs are inherited from a father or a
near relative who when living had been a member of the society.
These individual songs are distinct from songs used in the cere-
monies and regarded as the property of the society, although the
members are entitled to sing them on certain occasions. When
this society holds its formal meetings a part of the closing
exercises consists of the simultaneous singing by all the mem-
bers present of their individual songs. The result is most dis-
tressing to a listener, but there are no listeners unless by chance
an outsider is present, for each singer is absorbed in voicing
his own special song which is strictly his own personal affair,
so that he pays no attention to his neighbour, consequently the
pandemonium to which he contributes does not exist for him.

The foregoing paragraph from Miss Alice C. Fletcher's
account of Indian music ¹ reads like a travesty of the ac-
cepted view of primitive song, its character and author-
ship. There is the familiar primitive "horde," engaged
in festal singing, without onlookers. Yet instead of Col-

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